Various terminals are known by which a user can identify themselves at a user interface of the terminal and thereafter carry out an activity. For example, Self-Service Terminal (SSTs) such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are known and users can identify themselves at such terminals via a token such as a bank card and inputting a PIN. Once identified, users can carry out a transaction at the terminal such as receiving or depositing currency or checks. Carrying out a transaction at such a terminal can, however, on occasion be a time consuming process as a user must input a token such as a bank card to identify themselves. Such tokens can be lost or defaced so that a user is no longer able to identify themselves. Users must also remember a PIN.
Mobile phones have been proposed as an identification medium, however, there are a number of problems known with such use. For example, there are a wide range of mobile devices with disparate capabilities. Some solutions have been suggested whereby such a mobile device such as a smartphone is used to display an authorizing sign such as a QR code or the like. However, reading a QR code generated on a mobile terminal using a camera at the terminal requires a customer to perform an indirect action with the mobile device first displaying the QR code at the terminal. Such actions are prone to user error and themselves can be time consuming.
Executing a biometric challenge at a terminal has been suggested to at least partially overcome such problems. However, taking a fingerprint and/or iris scan and then comparing the created template in a recognition cycle is highly data intensive, can be a time consuming process and is prone to error.